Non-slip material for sharpening stones

[Brad Swanson]

I'm new to using hand planes and recently acquired a few and bought some basic sharpening kit to keep them sharp. In my research I've seen users place their waterstones on some type of non-slip mat to keep it in place while sharpening. What is this mat/what material is it? Where can I purchase this material? Thanks very much for your help, this website is a great resource.

Cheers,
Brad

[Jim Koepke]

Brad,

You do not mention whether you are using oil or water stones.

Oops! re-reading your post hits me up the side of the head with WATERSTONES! Ouch!

My set up is different for the two.

For my water stones Target was selected for the search. They have kitchen mats, bath mats and automotive floor mats. At the time the lowest cost was found to be the automotive floor mat. It works well for me and the water doesn't run off due to the ridge around the edge and the profile of the mat.

For oil stones

They are mostly held on wood or in mortises made into wood blocks from shop scrap.

It is more likely for me to hold an oil stone in my hand than a waterstone. One of my Arkansas stones is about the size of a fist. Often that is held in one hand while the blade being sharpened is held in the other and against my chest. The stone is moved and the blade is stationary.

There are different locations in my shop for the oil and waterstone set ups.

jtk

[David Weaver]

toolbox drawer liner material from anywhere. Same stuff as you can buy at target, etc, to line the shelves of cupboards - some of that has holes and some doesn't, though. Makes no difference.

[Brad Swanson]

Great, thanks very much for the advice. Looking forward to getting my plane irons supersharp soon.

[Jim Matthews]

If you sharpen with waterstones on the floor, in a litterbox (no kidding) - there's no risk to splashing.

They're designed to hold the "contents" without spilling and are available for next to nothing.

[Jay Park]

This is my favorite.

http://www.amazon.com/DMT-SR009-Non-.../dp/B001AUCHIC

[Stanley Covington]

A bit of newspaper folded several times works very well and holds a reservoir of water as well. Soft enough to work on uneven surfaces, cheap, and never needs to be washed. Besides, most of the stuff written in newspapers nowadays is worth less than the value of the paper and ink, so you might as well find a practical use for it.

Stan

[David Wadstrup]

Hi Brad,

I've been using one of these fiberglass trays with an anti-skid surface for a while now and love it. I couldn't imagine a better set up. The stones don't move around at all! And because it's a tray with a short lip, you can flush your stones free of slurry as much as you like without having to worry about where the mess is going to end up. It makes a very messy task into a very clean one. The only issue is that the underside is not anti-skid. I added 4 of these to make it so.

[Dave Cav]

Another vote for cheap waffle face tool box drawer or shelf liner. Harbor Freight has it. Target probably has it.